There's a whole world of testing that goes along with taking care of your breasts. Although medical tests can be nerve-wracking — especially when it comes to waiting for results — they are essential in keeping your breasts healthy and getting you proper care if you develop breast cancer Whether you’ve never had breast cancer and want to increase your odds of early detection, you’ve recently been diagnosed, or you are in the midst of treatment and follow-up, you know that breast cancer and medical tests go hand in hand.
Most breast-cancer-related tests fall into one or more of the following categories:
Screening tests: Screening tests (such as yearly mammograms) are given routinely to people who appear to be healthy and are not suspected of having breast cancer. Their purpose is to find breast cancer early, before any symptoms can develop and the cancer usually is easier to treat.Diagnostic tests: Diagnostic tests (such as biopsy) are given to people who are suspected of having breast cancer, either because of symptoms they may be experiencing or a screening test result. These tests are used to determine whether or not breast cancer is present and, if so, whether or not it has traveled outside the breast. Diagnostic tests also are used to gather more information about the cancer to guide decisions about treatment.Monitoring tests: Once breast cancer is diagnosed, many tests are used during and after treatment to monitor how well therapies are working. Monitoring tests also may be used to check for any signs of recurrence.
Do you know that 23% of all breast cancers occur in women under 49?
Benefits of breast familiarity 
When you know the normal feel of your breasts, it's easier to notice subtle but potentially serious changes. These changes may become apparent quickly, over the course of just a few months.
Say, for example, you feel a barely perceptible area of thickening in the upper quadrant of your breast, next to your arm. If you've become familiar with how your breasts look and feel, you know your breast usually feels completely smooth in that area. Without a tactile memory from having done many breast self-exams, though, you might not notice this difference. Detecting such a change should prompt you to see your doctor.
Although most breast abnormalities discovered on breast self-exams aren't cancers, a small proportion are. Some of those cancers are at an early stage, when prompt treatment can be lifesaving. That's why regular breast self-exams - examining your breasts in a way that's comfortable to you, with an awareness of what's normal for you - are particularly important if you're at increased risk of breast cancer.
To gain the greatest benefit from regular breast self-exams, ask your doctor to review your technique at your next checkup.
Major advances in the treatment and detection of breast cancer in the last two decades have saved the lives of millions of women. Since 1990, mortality rates have decreased dramatically—by 3.3 percent a year in women under 50 and by 2 percent a year in older women. Experts say that breakthroughs made in the past few years, however, may have an even greater impact in the fight against breast cancer. Here are five reasons researchers are excited—and hopeful. In the dramedy that constitutes a woman's life, the brain and heart play the starring roles—but breasts surely have a major part. They start turning heads as soon as they make their debut; they nurture babies with milk uniquely suited to an infant's needs. They provide pleasure, bolster body image, and inspire pride and satisfaction. But as you get older, all that front-and-center attention has a downside. Where they once heralded your youth, your breasts may now seem to announce your decline. They can be a source of discomfort—and as you enter the years of higher cancer risk, they probably cause you some worry now and then.
Despite this dramatic shift, you don't hear much about how best to cope with these changes. And except for frequent reminders about getting mammograms, there isn't even much info about how to keep your breasts healthy for the long haul. What's needed: an owner's manual for the over-40 breast, with a guide to cancer prevention and treatment, help with everyday problems, and a no-hype look at how to preserve perk—including surgical options and the lift you can find in a lingerie drawer (if you know what you're looking for). Got breasts? We've got answers.
Inside Story: How the Breast Ages
Your breast has more of the milk-producing glands called lobules in its upper outer quadrant. Result: That area is particularly prone to pre-period tenderness—and to the development of tumors.
The milk ducts transport milk to the nipple. About 95 percent of breast cancers begin within the ducts.
Fat fills the spaces between the lobules and ducts—more of it as you get older. That increases sag, but has a bonus: It makes mammograms easier to read.
Breast Pain: What's Normal, What's Not
In the run-up to menopause, your breasts can feel like a battleground—the scene of all manner of lumps, pains, and general aggravations. Thank goodness, most of these breast bothers have nothing to do with cancer. (Studies show that pain is the sole symptom of breast cancer in 2 percent of cases or less.) But don't just feel reassured—feel better. Here's how.
You have: Lumpiness or thickened and tender areas
It may be: Fibrocystic breast changes, a condition that affects so many women (more than 60 percent, estimates say) that it's considered a version of normal. Researchers don't entirely understand the cause, although they lay blame at least partly on hormones. The thickened, rubbery feeling comes from fibrous tissue—the same sort of tissue in scars. The lumps are due to fluid-filled cysts. Breasts may also feel full and achy and have a clear yellow or greenish discharge.
Rest easy: Fibrocystic breast changes don't increase breast cancer risk. And though the problem typically worsens in the years before menopause, most women find relief as their hormones quiet down.
Try this: Reduce your caffeine consumption—it exacerbates soreness in up to 50 percent of women. NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen help some women, as do vitamin E (800 IU daily) and evening primrose oil (1,500 to 3,000 mg daily). Research on primrose oil is mixed, but it can't hurt you. If pain is severe, your doctor may prescribe a drug to block the effect of your reproductive hormones.
You have: A single, distinct lump
It may be: A cyst. In 80 percent of cases, a lump is not due to cancer. Cysts are usually firm and round; they can be smaller than a BB or as big as a grape, sometimes larger. They often disappear after your period but can recur with the next cycle.
Try this: Because there's always the possibility of cancer, tell your doctor about any new or dominant lump. NSAIDs may help ease pain.
You have: Thick green or black discharge
It may be: Mammary duct ectasia, which just means that one of your milk ducts has become inflamed and clogged. As many as 1 in 4 women develops the condition during or after menopause. Other signs of the problem: soreness, a lump or thickening, an inverted nipple, or the pain, swelling, and redness of mastitis (breast infection).
Try this: Warm compresses, NSAIDs, and a supportive bra often help. But you should have your doctor take a look. Antibiotics may be necessary—and you may need the duct surgically removed if the problem doesn't get better.
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